Hearts will melt this Valentine’s Day but act fast!

Chris Berry talks love, passion and amore with the romance of food

Love is expressed in many ways. Kissing, holding hands and a myriad of other gestures but one of the most romantic of all on Valentine's Day is serving up a gorgeous home-cooked dish complete with the appropriate fine wine. The romance of flowers and a tender, exquisite steak whether beef, lamb or pork combined with a full-bodied red or heaven-sent white is an ideal celebration.

This year Farmison & Co has its own significant other through a partnership with world renowned wine merchants Berry Bros & Rudd and the 'Matches Made In Heaven' combinations of either 90 day dry aged Cote de Boef, Extra Ordinary Lamb Rack and Colombier Free Range Pork with Michelin star recipes from their own award winning chef Jeff plus the finest wine all delivered in a special box for Valentine's Day is sure to melt hearts.

Saint Valentine keys are a symbolic gift on the continent with their raison d'etre being to unlock the giver's heart. There's little denying that a carefully thought out, well executed surprise dish for a partner or loved one is a key that will unlock whoever you care to enchant, convey your utmost affection and almost certainly ignite each other's passion.

Passion is the watchword for the team at Farmison & Co who believe in going straight to the heart in sourcing and preparing special, cherished moments and with a mouth-wateringly tender, luscious Valentine's dish your night is bound to set off the right way.

Home is where the heart is

Lovingly prepared dishes become so through the passion shown by farmers and livestock men and women who nurture their animals with care and a deep understanding of their needs creating the perfect stress-free environment in amazing landscapes.

Delicious tasting beef, lamb and pork comes down to maturity and the juicy tenderness created through marbling that allows the softness of the meat to come through as marbling melts into the beef when cooked.

This is why Farmison & Co believe native heritage beef breeds such as Aberdeen Angus and Hereford are unsurpassable in providing a beautiful taste experience that dances on the tongue and is sure to provide the inspiration for culinary success and whatever other experience you have in mind following the food and wine.

'Heritage breeds produce dishes that excite and entice our senses,' says John Pallagi co-founder of Farmison & Co. 'We source our breeds from herds and flocks that have roamed free living on natural grasses, wild flowers and shrubs in beautiful countryside while also benefitting from farmers whose animal husbandry skills combine all of the love and affection associated with those who care.

'And it doesn't have to be Valentine's Day to create something special as a dish for the person closest to your heart. Once you've tried our dry-aged beef and lamb you and your partner are sure to keep coming back for more.'

Mutual attraction through your Valentine's Day dish

The cultural celebration of romance has long been entwined with food. Partners, lovers, man and wife, boyfriend and girlfriend or however your relationship is defined have spent considerable time in the past pondering over what to prepare for the big night. Too heavy a meal can be counterproductive to the evening, too light and you may feel as though it's not enough especially when your aim is to impress especially if it is the first time you've tried to blow them away with your culinary magic.

We've all heard the idea of winning someone's heart through their stomach? The theory is valid as after studying the evolutionary basis of romantic relationships, Maryanne Fisher, an associate professor of psychology at Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia says that 'the energy and time we invest in buying food and cooking for a new partner shows just how much we like them and something that cannot be faked'.

'Food is a way to display skills to a potential mate,' she says. 'It's fascinating how it can be used as part of the relationship.'

There's no getting away from the fact that two basic human needs of food and what it can lead to are intrinsically linked. On Valentine's Day, where advertisers go crazy in the lead up promoting chocolates in heart-shaped boxes and cards are delivered with anonymously to that special first meal prepared lovingly for a partner or for the umpteenth time in a long relationship food is a real Saint Valentine's key to unlock the heart.

Like attraction, everything is rooted in our brains and scientists say food and love are bound together because they both produce the same reward hormones, like dopamine and norepinephrine, which make us feel good.

'We want everyone to feel good this Valentine's Day,' says John Pallagi. 'And there's no place like home with a dish prepared by you for your loved one from native heritage breeds that have roamed as free as we hope your spirit flies at the time.'

And then there's breakfast!

Farmison & Co's partnership with Berry Bros & Rudd also sees a breakfast version of the 'Matches Made In Heaven' range - The Love Birds Breakfast in Bed Box. What better way to start the day! Check out the website for all details.